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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

THURSDAY 34TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

NOVEMBER 24, 2011MEMORIAL, ANDREW DUNG-LAC & COMPANIONSTHURSDAY 34TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

Dn 6:12-28 / Dn 3:68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74 / Lk 21:20-28

DANIEL 6:12–28The king could not help giving the order that Daniel be brought andthrown into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God,whom you serve faithfully, save you." A stone was placed at the mouthof the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and withthat of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might remain unchanged.Then the king returned to his palace and spent a sleepless night,refusing food and entertainment. Very early next morning, he rose andhurried to the lions' den. As he came near he called in an anguishedvoice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, did your God whom you servefaithfully save you from the lions?" Daniel answered, "Live forever, Oking! My God sent his angel who closed the lions' mouths so that theydid not hurt me. God did that because I am innocent in his sight.Neither have I wronged you, O king."

LUKE 21:20-28Jesus said to his disciples, "When you see Jerusalem surrounded byarmies, then you must know that the time has come when it will bereduced to a wasteland. Then, if you are in Judea, flee to themountains; if you are in the city, leave it; and let those who are inthe fields not return to the city. "For these will be the days of itspunishment and all that was announced in the Scripture will befulfilled. How hard will it be for pregnant women and for mothers withbabies at the breast! For a great calamity will come upon the land,and divine justice upon this people. They will be put to death by thesword or taken as slaves to other nations; and Jerusalem will betrampled upon by the pagans until the time of the pagans is fulfilled."Then there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earthanguish of perplexed nations when they hear the roaring of the sea andits waves. People will faint with fear at the mere thought of what isto come upon the world, for the forces of the universe will be shaken.And at this time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud withpower and great glory. "Now, when you see the first events, standerect and lift up your heads, for your deliverance is drawing near."

REFLECTIONAmidst the impending destruction and desolation surrounding Jerusalem,today's Gospel radiates a ray of hope. Natural and disastrouscalamities seen by the signs in the sun, the moon and the stars, theroaring of the seas and the power of the heavens are minor eventscompared to the triumphant coming of the Son of Man in all his glory.

This ray of hope comes when we remain steadfast in faith knowing thatour Redeemer comes to save us, protect us, and console us. This is thepromise of the resurrection reenacted. Let us go to Jesus full of hopeand trust in moments of fear and apprehension. He is our consoler, ourstrength to face all the adversities in life and our love parexcellence to lead us to a life of hope and perseverance.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayersand for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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+================================================+| The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the| priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish| http://www.marythequeen.org| Distributed free and for personal use only.+================================================+

WEDNESDAY 34TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

DANIEL 5:1–6, 13–14, 16–17, 23–28Daniel was brought in and questioned by the king, "Are you Daniel, oneof the exiles my father brought from Judah? I have heard that you havethe spirit of the gods, that you have insight and extraordinarywisdom. I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve problems.If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will beclothed in purple, wear a gold chain around your neck, and beappointed third in rank in my kingdom." Daniel replied, "You may keepyour gifts or give them to someone else. Just the same I will read andinterpret the writing for you. You have defied the Lord of heaven. Youhad the vessels from his temple brought to you, and together with yournobles, your wives and concubines, you drank wine from them. Youpraised the idols made of silver and gold, of bronze, iron and stones,which neither see, nor hear, nor understand; but you never glorifiedGod who has power over your life and all your fortunes. So he sent thehand that wrote the inscription which read MENE, MENE, TE-KEL, PARSIN.And these words mean: MENE, God has numbered the days of your reignand put an end to it; TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales andfound wanting; PARSIN, your kingdom has been divided and given to theMedes and the Persians."

LUKE 21:12-19Jesus said to his disciples, "People will lay their hands on you andpersecute you; you will be delivered to the Jewish courts and put inprison, and for my sake you will be brought before kings andgovernors. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. "So keepthis in mind: do not worry in advance about what to answer, for I willgive you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able towithstand or contradict. "You will be betrayed even by parents, andbrothers, by relatives and friends, and some of you will be put todeath. But even though you are hated by all for my name's sake, not ahair of your head will perish. Through perseverance you will possessyour own selves.

REFLECTIONThe Gospel today is scary and challenging at the same time. Taking thewords literally, it somehow makes us want to reconsider what we signedon for during our baptism. As human beings, we want our lives to be aspainless as possible. However, today's gospel somehow sends us themessage that in order to be a Christian, pain is inevitable.

If we take our faith seriously, there will indeed be times when wewill be tested. Times when we need to take a stand, or speak thetruth, or defend our faith against adversity. For some the test may beeasy, but for others, it may require much more. However, the closingwords in today's gospel give us consolation. God has prepared a better place for us, and if we remain loyal to Him, we will attaineternal happiness.

We do not have to look far for inspiration. Many have been martyredfor their faith. They faced adversity with bravery, and remained loyalto God even at the cost of their lives. The church today recognizesthem all as saints. They serve as reminders to us all, so that bytheir example, we too may live our lives like saints.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayersand for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

**************************************************

These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only.Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends,colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include thefollowing:

+================================================+| The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the| priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish| http://www.marythequeen.org| Distributed free and for personal use only.+================================================+